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Three shelter puppies from Wayne County made it to the big leagues - Animal Planet's 10th Puppy Bowl.

Jillian, Bach and Max, all from Friends of Pep Border Collie Rescue in Lehigh Township, will show off their skills on Super Bowl Sunday, playing on a miniature football field against puppies from across the United States.

Katie Scott, owner of Friends of Pep, submitted pictures of the three pups for consideration by Animal Planet.

"I'm excited," she said. "This gives people more awareness of what rescue dogs are and may stop them from going to pet stores for puppies."

Bach is a 14-week-old Bernedoodle and Max and Jillian are both 16-week-old Shih Tzu-Pekingnese mixes. Their competitors run the gamut of breeds from a Dachshund Hound to a Bassett Hound, a pint-sized Chihuahua mix to a Great Pyrenees and even a deaf Dalmatian.

While one of the Puppy Bowl's goals is to find homes for rescue dogs, most of this year's competitors already have a family of their own.

Scott said all three of her dogs have "forever homes," but the shelter always has puppies and adult dogs for adoption. Anyone interested can find Friends of Pep on Facebook and Petfinder, she said.

Friends of Pep sent three puppies to the Puppy Bowl in 2012, making this year the second time Friends of Pep has appeared on the field.

Scott returned to New York City to film the special in October, this time with Jillian, Bach and Max in tow.

"It was a very nice experience," Scott said. "I took my grandchildren and they got to see everything that was going on."

Melissa Berry, an Animal Planet publicist, said the three Lehigh Township pups will join their competitors on a miniature football field scattered with toys. If a puppy picks up a toy and carries it into the endzone, they score a touchdown.

Penguin cheerleaders will watch from the sidelines for every play, while a team of hamsters will fly a blimp and camera above the action.

During the game, viewers can vote online for their MVP. The winning puppy will be crowned at the end of the game.

The Puppy Bowl airs on Animal Planet at 3 p.m. Feb. 2, replaying throughout the day with new content in each airing, Berry said.

Scott, spending Super Bowl weekend in Florida, said she looks forward to seeing her former charges compete.

"We'll be watching with friends," she said.

sscinto@timesshamrock.com, @sscintoTT

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